Indoor Soccer shoes – Kicks to the Pitch

Unlike any other major sport, Soccer and by extension futsal, share a symbiotic relationship with street fashion. Shirt, shorts, shoes…simple really. It only makes sense then; that what we often see on the pitch and court is what we continue to rock off it. To focus on the latter, Nike has hit yet again with another indoor classic, the Premier II Sala collection.

Continuing a tradition of timelessly clean boots, Nike keeps it classy yet functionally forward with this latest release. Starting with color: the shoe comes in a clean “Desert Sand” and “Midnight Navy”, to which would virtually complement any fit. As for comfort, the shoes upper is rugged and sturdy, built for the countless courts it will be played on worldwide, and features lightweight mesh alongside supple suede accents. To bring it together, Nike has instilled its Lunarlon technology, a soft and durable foam core base that’s both lightweight and resilient.

The Nike Premier II Sala Collection arrives at an interesting time, as fashion is hearkening back to the many styles seen throughout the ‘90s and early 2000s. Baggy pants, eccentric shades, flashy color palettes, and oversized tops are but a few of the trends currently dominating the street landscape to where we’ve seen other sportswear giants, such as adidas, dropping its own set of historical and modern kicks with the recent release of the Predator Accelerator TR Ultraboost and forward thinking Sobakov.

Like its German counterpart, Nike also pays its homage to its past by blending the right amount of history with just the right amount of modern technology, where the shoes just feel right and will feel right for a very long time.

Images from soccerbible.com

The adidas Samba is without a doubt a classic imprint within the world of soccer, or in this case, “football,” seeing as it’s a silhouette that resonates the world over. Many argue – with good reason – that it’s the best indoor soccer shoe around, while others have adopted the model for a look outside of the beautiful game, like skateboarding or worn as a lifestyle sneaker. The silhouette itself was first introduced back in 1950 and has since become one of adidas’ most synonymous shoes, falling just second in line for being the highest selling design after the Stan Smith.

Selling status isn’t everything though, we’re more about a good story or learning about cultural relevancy in a product, and the samba has just that. Not only was the silhouette introduced to help players train on hard ground, therefore becoming the choice trainer for futsol, the Samba also played a significant part in the UK’s football culture during the early ’80s, when the subculture known as “the Casual” was in its prime. While associated with hooliganism, there was also a heavy fashion element to scene, where a casual would be decked out in expensive sportswear designer clothing – referred to as “clobber” gear – in a bid to divert unwanted attention from the police. The outfits, however, were also typically matched with, you guessed it: the adidas Samba.

While the history of the Samba is of course much more detailed, we already know that it’s a design that transcends time, hence it being well worthy of being highlighted with a look back at some of our favorite drops ever, leading up to the release of the adidas Originals’ Samba in June 1, which sees a meticulous one-for-one reproduction of the original design. Check out our list of favorite Samba releases below, then look out for the true throwback to release globally come June 1.

ADIDAS OG SAMBA LUZHNIKI